Chapter 23: Sir Roland
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 23: Sir Roland
Roland wasn't the only one the system recognized as a party member. Not only Hendricks on the opposite side, but every time the four mercenaries in the second row swung their swords, my experience points increased.
The experience from a single goblin wasn't much, but thanks to them, my experience bar was filling up at an unusual rate.
As I thought, real combat is much more effective than sparring, where you get an experience penalty. The only problem is that you have to risk your life.
My chance to check my experience points quickly vanished.
“Kieeeek-!”
Although I had managed to sidestep the goblin offensive with some preparation, its effectiveness diminished as goblins swarmed us from all sides.
In the brief moment I glanced at the two men, a goblin charged. I kicked out, shoving it back. Immediately, I twisted my body and swung my sword in a diagonal arc. I didn't need to use much force.
Aren't goblins monsters that any able-bodied adult could kill with just a club? In fact, considering their seemingly endless numbers, I needed to conserve my strength.
Just then, Piole’s flawless swordsmanship flashed through my mind. Perhaps that was the kind of sword I needed right now.
“Kek-?”
A long, diagonal line appeared on the body of a goblin that had used its comrade as a shield to aim for my side. Blood erupted like a fountain, followed by its entrails. The goblin collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.
With a look of disbelief, it glanced between its wound and my already-retrieved sword before its head slumped. Piole’s unembellished sword style was endlessly light, and just as fast.
But it was too early to feel relieved. Unable to wait, another goblin dove into my space like a tackle. Since it was barely as tall as my waist and had charged from a blind spot, I was slow to notice it.
I was about to kick it away but changed my mind and raised my knee instead. The creature’s face, which had been grinning to reveal yellowed teeth, caved in from the knee kick. I felt flesh and muscle give way, followed by the crunch of bone.
To another goblin charging moments after, I thrust my sword. To be precise, I simply placed it in the creature’s path.
“Kieeee-”
The goblin tried to stop, but it couldn't overcome its own momentum.
Squelch.
The sword plunged through the goblin’s blood and muscle as if slicing through tofu. Before I could even register the gruesome sensation, I pulled my sword back. Another goblin was already rushing in, giving me no time to rest.
“I can kill and kill, and there’s still no end to them.”
I stomped hard on the face of the goblin that had collapsed from the knee strike. The creature, which had been flailing and grabbing at my foot, went limp.
In that brief opening, I raised my head to survey the battle. The knight and the mercenaries of comparable skill were cutting down goblins like machines.
The problem was their numbers.
Our charge, which had been crushing them underfoot, had ground to a halt. For now, we were pushing through with our superior skill, but it felt like our stamina would run out before we could kill them all.
We were already surrounded. When the goblins were blocked by me, Hendricks, and Roland, some of them scaled the walls to get behind us. The second-row mercenaries had to turn their backs to the front line to defend our rear.
The tide of battle was against us.
“Sir Roland! We’re reaching our limit!” Hendricks shouted as he smashed a nearby goblin with his studded gauntlet.
“Push a little harder! We have to get inside the building, no matter what!”
“Damn it! The path is getting wider! We’ll be completely surrounded before we even get in!”
Another mercenary chimed in.
“There’s no guarantee the environment inside will be to our advantage, either!”
“Well, do you have another plan?”
At Roland’s question, the mercenaries fell silent, as if they had never spoken. Hendricks spoke up again.
“So what are you suggesting? We all just die here?”
“I will clear a path.”
“Sir Roland!”
Before anyone could stop him, Roland broke from the formation. His lone advance into the countless waves of goblins looked like a suicide mission. The goblins seemed to think so, too.
“Kihet!”
The ones at the front licked their lips and lunged at Roland, trying to get to him before the others.
However.
A flash of light streaked between Roland and the goblins. The heads of three goblins that had charged forward with such vigor dropped to the ground at once.
That was only the beginning.
Every time Roland’s sword glinted, two or three goblins lost their lives. His sword strikes were so clean that killing the vicious monsters looked almost like a game.
That was a true knight, a so-called weapon of war.
“Whew, we would’ve been in deep shit if we’d dismissed him as some country knight, huh?”
Hendricks, who had a moment to breathe thanks to Roland, joked. But I couldn't share his relief. The stronger Roland was, the easier it would be to clear the ancient ruins, but the problem was what came after.
‘He seems to be at least on Piole’s level.’
The quality of his swordplay was similar to Piole’s, but he exuded a sense of ease that she lacked. And this was while he was surrounded by an endless tide of goblins…!
If Roland was hiding even more of his strength, the situation was far more serious. My plan had been to use the goblins to wear him out, but it seemed I would have to change direction.
The rapidly accumulating experience points were a shame, but confusing my priorities would be putting the cart before the horse, wouldn't it?
“Just a little more! We’re almost there!”
Roland single-handedly carved a path through the sea of goblins. We scrambled to catch up, not wanting to be left behind. We finally reached the front of the structure, but there was a problem.
“Pant, pant. Shit. Why are the stairs so long?”
Seen up close, the building was so tall I had to crane my neck all the way back just to see the entrance. The seemingly endless stairs formed a shape similar to a pyramid.
“Stop your whining and keep up!”
Roland charged ahead without waiting for a reply. We had no choice but to follow without a moment's rest.
“For fuck’s sake.”
Somehow, we climbed the stairs and entered the building, only to be greeted by massive, sparsely placed pillars and a horde of goblins filling every gap between them. The creatures grinned, baring their yellow teeth.
“Kekekekeke-!”
Their monstrous cries echoed through the building like a chorus. The goblins that had been chasing us from behind sealed off our escape, and we were once again surrounded. It felt exactly like we had walked into a trap.
We stood back-to-back in a circular formation, wary of the goblins. The only silver lining was that they weren't immediately attacking. They seemed to be cautious of Roland.
“Damn it! It’s one thing after another!”
“We never should have taken a shitty job like this in the first place!”
“We’re dead men now!”
“How are you going to compensate us for this, Sir Roland!”
The mercenaries’ resentment poured out toward Roland, who had deceived them and brought them to these ancient ruins. Roland, who was only slightly out of breath despite having broken through that chaos alone, smirked.
“Weren’t you all thrilled when you found out it was an ancient ruin? And now you blame me? This is why mercenaries are… tsk.”
“You honorless bastard-!”
“How dare a mere mercenary speak of my honor? What? Figured you’re going to die anyway, so you might as well die by my hand? Well, if that’s your wish, I suppose I can grant it.”
Roland’s sharp reaction told me that he, too, was feeling the pressure.
I mean, how long had it been since we entered the ruins, and we were already facing a life-or-death crisis? And there was no guarantee the danger would end even if we managed to kill all the goblins.
“Everyone, do you see that?”
It was then that I interjected. They couldn't fall apart yet. Not yet.
Where I was pointing, there was a hole of some sort. It was in a shadowed area, blocked from the sunlight by the building’s entrance and ceiling, and at a height that would be difficult for a short goblin to reach. It was also large enough for a person to fit through.
“Don’t tell me you want us to go in there? We don’t know how big the space inside is, and it could be a dead end,” Hendricks said sarcastically. With his life on the line, he probably felt no need for pleasantries anymore.
“I don’t know if it’s a dead end, but since I can’t see the end, the space seems quite large, don’t you think?”
“You can see that from this distance?”
“My eyes are just a bit sharp. Isn’t that right, Sir Roland?”
How many years had we lived in the same house? I had spent even more time with Roland than with my own family. He knew my eyesight was good. He looked at me with a peculiar expression.
“Allen’s vision is on par with a barbarian of the plains.”
“What? Sir Roland, you’re falling for this too? This ridiculous story?”
“The terrain offers a great advantage, does it not? Even if they follow us, we could easily block them off. It would give us a moment to catch our breath.”
“Damn it. How are we supposed to climb up somewhere that high…!”
“I think we can use that.”
Following my gaze, Hendricks looked at the winch attached to his hip, then grabbed it and shook his head.
“This thing is expensive. No way!”
“More expensive than your life, is it?”
“We don’t have a hook anyway!”
“We don’t need one. I’ll go up first and pull you up.”
“Hey, wait…!”
Snatching the winch from Hendricks, Roland kicked off the ground. The goblins, which had been biding their time, resumed their attack. Hendricks had no time to complain and was forced to swing his sword.
Having anticipated this, I stuck close behind Roland. The rest of the party followed me. Roland once again cleared a path. The distance was short this time, so it was over quickly.
Reaching the spot below the hole, Roland jumped, kicked off the L-shaped wall at the entrance, and reached for the opening. Like a squirrel darting into a knothole, he was inside in an instant. Almost simultaneously, the rope from the winch slid down.
“Fuck, I’m first!”
Just then, Hendricks, who was behind me, shoved me aside and grabbed the rope. The other mercenaries followed him. It was a sorry sight—three mercenaries dangling from a rope that was by no means thick.
The two remaining mercenaries and I had to face the pursuing goblins. The two mercenaries shouted at their comrades on the rope.
“Hey, you sons of bitches!”
“Fuck off! This rope is mine! I have priority!”
“Shit…!”
Having taken a step back, I took a rope with a grappling hook from my backpack, out of the mercenaries’ line of sight. By the time they noticed me, I had already secured the hook in the hole and was climbing the rope.
“You had a rope!?”
I didn't answer and just kept climbing. The mercenaries, realizing this was no time to be surprised, followed me.
“Kieeeek!!”
Seeing their prey about to escape, the goblins went into a frenzy. They threw caution to the wind and charged recklessly.
“Hurry! Climb faster!”
“Fuck! Don’t push! You’re making it shake!”
The mercenary at the top clung to the rope for dear life, while the one below him tried to climb over his comrade’s body to escape the goblins. It was pandemonium.
The goblins were just as desperate. They jumped, trying to grab even a piece of clothing, and a few clung to the rope, chasing after us.
Having acted quickly, I had already reached the hole before Hendricks, who had pushed past me. Roland, who was holding the rope, looked at me.
His gaze was remarkably similar to the one he had given me when he was waiting at the west gate of Quaran.
Indeed, the timing was too perfect to be a coincidence. Hadn't I pulled out the rope as if I knew this would happen? I feigned ignorance and extended a hand to the mercenary following me.
“Pull them up! Quickly!”
Once the number of people in the hole exceeded the number on the rope, we started hauling them up, rope and all. However, not everyone was able to set foot inside.
“Aaargh! Help me!!!”
“Jackson!!”
The mercenary dangling at the very bottom screamed. Countless goblins were clinging to his pant legs. It was getting to the point where they were pulling us down.
“Move.”
Just then, Roland swung his sword. His target was the rope, which was bent at a 90-degree angle at the entrance of the hole. Before anyone could stop him, the strike sliced clean through the rather thick rope in a single blow.
“Uh, uh…!”
In a world that seemed to slow down like a movie, my vision filled with the severed rope snaking through the air and Jackson’s face, flailing as if in zero gravity. Jackson’s eyes darted about aimlessly, like a sailboat caught in a violent storm.
“Aaargh!!”
Jackson’s scream echoed through the building as he fell with the goblins. The creatures swarmed him, eager for a piece of flesh, and in the blink of an eye, he disappeared beneath them.
The screaming didn't last long. All that remained was the goblins’ glee.
“Kieeeee!!”
We were speechless, turning to look at Roland. He was calmly sheathing his sword as if nothing had happened.
“Sir! What have you done!” Hendricks, the mercenaries’ leader, belatedly roared. But Roland just smirked.
“I simply stopped the goblins from climbing up the rope.”
“Bullshit! You had time to save Jackson!”
“What if a goblin had climbed up with him? And what if it had delayed us even for a moment? We would have been surrounded again.”
“You don’t know that for sure!”
“Don’t be ridiculous. If your comrade was so precious, you should have given up your turn. Isn’t that right?”
“...!”
After sneering at the silenced mercenaries, Roland turned to me. His eyes were filled with suspicion.
“Allen. When did you prepare the rope with the grappling hook?”
“Haha, this is an ancient ruin, is it not? I made some preparations, not knowing what dangers we might face. The rope and hook are just one of them.”
I proudly opened my backpack to show him. Inside was a week’s worth of dried food, wood for torches, medicinal herbs for wounds, a whetstone and oil, and even a full set of spare equipment.
“What kind of knight’s son is better prepared than us?”
“This isn’t prepared, it’s excessive.”
My preparations were so thorough they bordered on excessive, to the point that even the mercenaries, who were swallowing their anger, were dumbfounded. They looked at me as if I were a spoiled, clueless young master. Then, one of them took a sharp breath.
“Achoo!! What is that smell?”
The other mercenaries’ nostrils flared. A series of sneezes followed. I glanced down at my backpack and gave an awkward laugh.
“Looks like I spilled some pepper.”
“That expensive stuff? It looks like a lot, too…”
I shrugged.
“I can’t eat meat without pepper.”
“No wonder the goblins seemed to be avoiding you.”
Goblins that live in caves have atrophied eyesight, but their hearing and sense of smell are highly developed. Their sense of smell, in particular, is said to be comparable to a dog’s. So, they had smelled the pepper and avoided me.
I knew this from the memories of my past life. But I put on a surprised expression, as if I had no idea.
“I guess goblins don’t like pepper?”
“They’re sensitive to smells, but they especially detest pepper.”
“You knew that and still didn’t prepare any when facing goblins?” I asked reproachfully, and the mercenaries’ looks of disbelief deepened.
“You really are a young master who knows nothing of the world, aren’t you? Why would we use pepper, which is worth its weight in gold, on goblins that are worth pennies when you kill them?”
“Ah…”
The mercenaries shook their heads and clicked their tongues. Thanks to my self-sacrifice, the heavy atmosphere lightened a bit.
I smiled awkwardly and glanced at Roland out of the corner of my eye. He was still staring at me, and the look in his eyes hadn't changed one bit.
As if he didn't believe a word I said—